Historically, television services have been comprised of analog broadcast audio and video signals. Cable television systems now receive broadcasts and retransmit them with other programming to users over land-line networks, typically comprising fiber optic cable and/or coaxial cable. With the recent advent of digital transmission technology, cable television systems are now capable of providing much more than the traditional analog broadcast video. In addition, two-way and advanced one-way communications between a subscriber and a cable system headend are now possible.
In implementing enhanced programming, the home communication terminal (“HCT”), otherwise known as the settop box, has become an important computing device for accessing video services and navigating a subscriber through a maze of services available. In addition to supporting traditional analog broadcast video functionality, digital HCTs (or “DHCTs”) now also support an increasing number of two-way digital services such as video-on-demand.
Each HCT or DHCT (collectively hereinafter “DHCT”) is typically connected to a cable or satellite television network. The DHCTs generally include hardware and software necessary to provide the functionality of the digital television system at the client's site. Preferably, some of the software executed by a DHCT is downloaded and/or updated via the cable television network. Each DHCT typically includes a processor, communication components and memory, and is connected to a television or other display device, such as a personal computer. While many conventional DHCTs are stand-alone devices that are externally connected to a television, a DHCT and/or its functionality may be integrated into a television or personal computer, as will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art.
To best utilize network bandwidth and provide video-on-demand functionality to the largest number of users, video-on-demand services must offer different options for rental of video-on-demand titles. Providing rental options to a user that according to different levels of functionality and different lengths of time present complex problems in user-interface and bandwidth management.
Additional problems exist in providing the flexibility for users to control the video-on-demand title presentation using VCR-like functions (i.e., rewind, pause, stop, fast-forward, etc.). For example, due to excessive use of the VCR-like functions the user may not have time to watch a particular title in its entirety during the allotted rental period. Thus, there is a need for efficiently handling how the user may operate video manipulation functions and still view the movie in its entirety before the rental duration expires.
If a user is enabled to use such functions as “pause” or “stop”—functions that may cause a still image to be displayed on the display device—a problem exists with images being burned into the display devices left unattended for substantial amounts of time. Thus, there is a need for efficiently handling situations when the user may cause a still image to appear on the display without damaging the display device.
Another problem arises when a user receives a video-on-demand title but either stops, pauses, or otherwise prematurely interrupts or terminates presentation of the title. The problem pertains to the previously allocated bandwidth within the cable or satellite television system and the fact that it may be reserved for the user even during the time the user is not actually viewing the rented title. In order to free resources for more users attempting to view rented titles at the same time, a need exists for efficiently managing allocated network bandwidth and handling user inactivity.
A problem also exists in providing rental options to a user according to different levels of functionality and different lengths of time. Historically hardware resources have provided little flexibility in enabling the cable provider to offer a variety of options for renting movies on demand.